Headrest for eye surgery



17, 1967 TUl MARIE UFFENORDE 3,347,544

HEADREST FOR EYE SURGERY Filed March 1, 1965 INVENTOR.

7/1 Mae/5 Zl-"FENOzPO United States Patent ()fiice 3,347,544 Patented Get. 17, 1967 3,347,544 HEADREST FGR EYE SURGERY Tali Miarie Uifenorde, 6515 SW. 26th t., Miami, Fla. 33155 Filed Mar. 1, 165, Ser. No. 435,865 3 Claims. (Cl. 269-328) ABSTRACT F THE DTSCLQSURE A headrest is constructed of foam rubber with a recess on the top surface to receive the head of a patient. A U-shaped section of metal tubing is so dimensioned that the ends thereof will slide int-o receptacles embedded in the headrest, thereby forming an anesthesia screen over the head of the patient.

The present invention relates to a headrest for eye surgery.

Positioning the patient for eye surgery is particularly critical because lengthy procedures are often done under local anesthesia. Aside from the obvious need to secure the patients head so that inadvertent motion will not shift the operative field, especially When the Operating microscope is being used, it is also imperative that the patient be comfortable to avert postoperative nausea believed to be related to fear and discomfort experienced preoperatively or during a procedure.

At surgery, the head must be immobilized so that no motion is possible to interfere with the meticulous surgery; the patient must be able to breathe easily, and the surgeon must be able to work comfortably without fear of leaning on the patients face.

The headrest of the present invention is preferably manufactured from a block of four inch foam rubber or some similar porous and resilient material and its construction will be readily understood by referring to the drawings in which:

IGURE I is a perspective view of the headrest With an anesthesia screen in position.

FIG. 2 is a detailed perspective view of the anesthesia screen.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the head-rest with the anesthesia screen and a drape partially in section to show the position of the patient.

The block of foam rubber or other resilent material 11 of which the headrest is constructed preferably measures about 16 inches in length and inches in Width. As indicated above the headrest may be 4 or more inches in thickness. A recess 12 measuring about 4 inches by 8 inches is centrally located on the top surface of the headrest and extends from the lower edge thereof, The depth of this recess is about 2 /2 inches.

The anesthesia screen and its support, 'best illustrated in FIG. 2, is constructed of two braces 13 and 14 welded or soldered at the points 15 and 16 to the U-shaped section of metal tubing 17. The ends 18 and 19 of this tubing are flared to receive the anesthesia screen 20. The

screen 20 is formed of 7 metal rod approximately 25 inches in length and formed as shown in FIG. 2 with the ends 21 and 22 thereof spaced to be received by the flared ends 18 and 19 of the tubing 17.

In assembling the headrest, the ends 18 and 19 of the tubing 17 are forced through the headrest 11 to emerge about 1 inch from the lower edge and about 2 inches on either side of the recess 12. The braces 13 and 14 fit flush against the bottom edge of the headrest and may, if desired, be fastened thereto with a quick-setting cement, or with adhesive tape. Adhesive tape may also be applied to the top edge of the headrest around the openings 23 and 24 through which the tubing ends protrude. The assembled unit is preferably encased in conductive sheet rubber to allow use of the headrest in the hazardous area should combustive anesthetic agents be used.

When the patients head is positioned in the recess 12 of the headrest, as illustrated in FIG. 3, there is adequate clearance between the screen 20 and the patients nose for easy breathing and manipulation by the anesthesiologist, if necessary.

When the field is draped, the flat surfaces of the pillow can be used as handrests for the surgeon or as instrument fields.

Experience has shown that although the head is usually positioned squarely in the hollow, it can be rotated to either side without losing the stable position or interfering with the patients respirations.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new 1s:

1. In a headrest for surgery the combination of:

a generally rectangular block of resilient material, the

top surface of which is provided with a recess to receive and support the head of a patient;

a U-shaped tubular section the ends of which protrude through said rectangular block on each side of said recess and the base of which is flush against the bottom surface of said block; and,

a U-shaped member designed to support a drape above the head of the patient, the ends of said U-shaped member being in registry with and received by said tubular section.

2. The headrest of claim 1 wherein the base of said tubular section is held flush against the bottom surface of said block by brackets.

3. The headrest of claim 1, the rectangular block of which is encased in conductive sheet rubber.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,257,332 2/1918 Erlandson 5-319 2,949,088 6/1960 Boos 5-338 FOREIGN PATENTS 999,265 1/1952 France.

ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner. E. SUTTON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A HEADREST FOR SURGERY THE COMBINATION OF: A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR BLOCK OF RESILIENT MATERIAL, THE TOP SURFACE OF WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH A RECESS TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT THE HEAD OF A PATIENT; A U-SHAPED TUBULAR SECTION THE ENDS OF WHICH PROTRUDE THROUGH SAID RECTANGULAR BLOCK ON EACH SIDE OF SAID RECESS AND THE BASE OF WHICH IS FLUSH AGAINST THE BOTTOM SURFACE OF SAID BLOCK; AND, A U-SHAPED MEMBER DESIGNED TO SUPPORT A DRAPE ABOVE THE HEAD OF THE PATIENT, THE ENDS OF SAID U-SHAPED MEMBER BEING IN REGISTRY WITH AND RECEIVED BY SAID TUBULAR SECTION. 